The Best Books of 2020
2020 was a shitty year, but at least I read some good books. Here are my best books of 2020! I would like to preface this and say that not all of these books were released in 2020. This is a list of the best books I read in 2020, in descending order. This list is also 100% subjective and all opinions are my own. You are completely free to disagree! Let’s get into it!
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10 – Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
I’ve mentioned this book in about 100 posts now, so it’s no secret that it’s one of my favourite books. The first novella in the Wayward Children’s series follows a young woman who has just returned from a magical world, and she desperately wants to go back. There’s also a bit of a mystery to it. Think Alice in Wonderland, but after Wonderland Alice has to go to rehab and some people get murdered along the way. This book is absolutely amazing, and I loved the characters and the worldbuilding. You need this in your life.
9 – The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
As you may know, I’m not always the biggest fan of fantasy romance. Sometimes it just lacks in the fantasy department and the romance isn’t believable enough. The Shadows Between Us is another story. While I admit it has some flaws and it lacks some worldbuilding, I was completely in love with the characters and could not get enough of the story. This book follows a young woman who is hell-bent on seducing and killing the Shadow King and taking his place as the ruler of the land. Our protagonist, Alessandra, is brilliant, beautiful and brutal. I enjoyed every moment of her story.
8 – Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales
This is the only romance/contemporary book on the list, so that should tell you all you need to know. I read Only Mostly Devastated just after South Africa went into lockdown and it was just the best book for the situation. It was lighthearted and funny, yet at the same time it dealt with heavy themes such as loss and coming out. It was the perfect read to keep me going through lockdown and I really want to reread it.
What’s it about? Will Tavares is the dream summer fling―he’s fun, affectionate, kind―but just when Ollie thinks he’s found his Happily Ever After, summer vacation ends and Will stops texting Ollie back. Now Ollie is one prince short of his fairy tale ending, and to complicate the fairy tale further, a family emergency sees Ollie uprooted and enrolled at a new school across the country. Which he minds a little less when he realizes it’s the same school Will goes to…except Ollie finds that the sweet, comfortably queer guy he knew from summer isn’t the same one attending Collinswood High. This Will is a class clown, closeted―and, to be honest, a bit of a jerk.
The last time he gave Will his heart, Will handed it back to him trampled and battered. Ollie would have to be an idiot to trust him with it again.
7 – The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu
The Kingdom of Back completely surprised me. The synopsis didn’t really sound like something I would enjoy, but I received a review copy from Penguin and decided to give it a go. Thank goodness I was wrong. This book broke me. The Kingdom of Back follows Nannerl Mozart as she grows up alongside her brother. She’s just as talented (if not more talented) than he is, but society does not allow women to become composers. So she and her brother escape into the magical world of the Kingdom of Back, where they meet a mischievous fairy prince who could cost them everything.
I was literally sobbing by the end of this book. You can feel the plight of the hundreds and thousands of women that history has ignored simply because they were women. This book is brilliant. Read it.
6 – Of Silver and Shadow by Jennifer Gruenke
Technically this book is only being published in 2021, so you’ll likely see this on my Most Anticipated list too. However, I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book, so I got to read it a little earlier. I knew as soon as I read the first chapter that it would be on my Best Books of 2020 list.
What’s it about? Ren Kolins is a silver wielder—a dangerous thing to be in the kingdom of Erdis, where magic has been outlawed for a century. Ren is just trying to survive, sticking to a life of petty thievery, card games, and pit fighting to get by. But when a wealthy rebel leader discovers her secret, he offers her a fortune to join his revolution. The caveat: she won’t see a single coin until they overthrow the King.
Behind the castle walls, a brutal group of warriors known as the King’s Children is engaged in a competition: the first to find the rebel leader will be made King’s Fang, the right hand of the King of Erdis. And Adley Farre is hunting down the rebels one by one, torturing her way to Ren and the rebel leader, and the coveted King’s Fang title.
But time is running out for all of them, including the youngest Prince of Erdis, who finds himself pulled into the rebellion. Political tensions have reached a boiling point, and Ren and the rebels must take the throne before war breaks out.
THIS BOOK. I could scream about it all day, but instead of doing that, I will direct you to my review for it. Happy reading!
5 – Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
I read Melissa Bashardoust’s first novel, Girls Made of Snow and Glass, earlier in 2020 and didn’t enjoy it that much. I decided to give her second book a go, and I was not disappointed. Girl, Serpent, Thorn reads like a fairytale. The writing was phenomenal, the story entrancing. Every single thing Bashardoust set up paid off. If you want a bisexual main character and a Persian inspired fairytale, then this book is a must-read.
I don’t even have the words to describe the beautiful intricacies of the plot and how amazing the characters are. You need to read this book.
4 – Skyhunter by Marie Lu
The second Marie Lu book to grace this list. She has definitely turned into an auto-buy author for me. I knew within the first 30 pages that this book was going to be one of my favourites. I’m so glad it made it to the Best Books of 2020 list. Check out the synopsis below:
The Karensa Federation has conquered a dozen countries, leaving Mara as one of the last free nations in the world. Refugees flee to its borders to escape a fate worse than death—transformation into mutant war beasts known as Ghosts, creatures the Federation then sends to attack Mara.
The legendary Strikers, Mara’s elite fighting force, are trained to stop them. But as the number of Ghosts grows and Karensa closes in, defeat seems inevitable.
Still, one Striker refuses to give up hope.
Robbed of her voice and home, Talin Kanami knows firsthand the brutality of the Federation. Their cruelty forced her and her mother to seek asylum in a country that considers their people repugnant. She finds comfort only with a handful of fellow Strikers who have pledged their lives to one another and who are determined to push Karensa back at all costs.
When a mysterious prisoner is brought from the front, Talin senses there’s more to him than meets the eye. Is he a spy from the Federation? Or could he be the weapon that will save them all?
3 – The Poppy War by R.F Kuang
Anyone who reads this book will immediately place it on their Best Books Of list. I still think about this book daily. If you don’t know, The Poppy War is a dark adult fantasy set in a Chinese inspired world. Rin, our main character, has passed a test and been accepted into the country’s most prestigious military academy. But war is coming, and she’ll soon discover that learning about war and actual war is very different.
The Poppy War is one of the best books you’ll ever read. It takes a hard look at the horrors of war, drawing inspiration from the Second Sino-Japanese war. At the same time, it is very accessible, the writing is very simple (I mean this in a very good way, the writing is beautiful) and easy to follow, and there are some lighthearted moments too.
Do yourself a favour and read this book and the entire series.
2- The Library of the Unwritten by A.J Hackwith
This book snuck its way onto this list at the last possible moment. The Library of the Unwritten was the last book I read in 2020 and I could not be happier with the choice. This book contains all of the things I love and I cannot wait for the sequel.
What’s it about? Many years ago, Claire was named Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing—a neutral space in Hell where all the stories unfinished by their authors reside. Her job consists mainly of repairing and organizing books, but also of keeping an eye on restless stories that risk materializing as characters and escaping the library. When a Hero escapes from his book and goes in search of his author, Claire must track and capture him with the help of former muse and current assistant Brevity and nervous demon courier Leto.
But what should have been a simple retrieval goes horrifyingly wrong when the terrifyingly angelic Ramiel attacks them, convinced that they hold the Devil’s Bible. The text of the Devil’s Bible is a powerful weapon in the power struggle between Heaven and Hell, so it falls to the librarians to find a book with the power to reshape the boundaries between Heaven, Hell … and Earth.
1 – Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Okay look, there is no possible way I can explain to you what happens in this book. I don’t understand it myself. Harrow the Ninth was the wildest ride of a book I have ever read and I would sell my soul to the Emperor Undying. Harrow can step on my throat and I would thank her.
I am willing to pledge myself to the Ninth House, become a nun and wear face paint for the rest of my days.
Fuck, this book is good. This series is good. It’s the best thing I have ever read. Ever. I am in literal tears over this book. IT IS SO GOOD.
What’s it about (who knows)? Harrowhark Nonagesimus, last necromancer of the Ninth House, has been drafted by her Emperor to fight an unwinnable war. Side-by-side with a detested rival, Harrow must perfect her skills and become an angel of undeath — but her health is failing, her sword makes her nauseous, and even her mind is threatening to betray her.
Sealed in the gothic gloom of the Emperor’s Mithraeum with three unfriendly teachers, hunted by the mad ghost of a murdered planet, Harrow must confront two unwelcome questions: is somebody trying to kill her? And if they succeeded, would the universe be better off?
There you have it. My Best Books of 2020. What was your favourite book?
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That is quite a list!
Love your list. Not only does it have books I’m not familiar with and haven’t read…but great comments about why they’re on your best of the year. Excellent!
I admit that I have not read any of those but I do love your insightful comments. This is a great post.
A few are on my TBR, so I’m pleased to be reminded you enjoyed them!
Loved seeing your list. I really enjoyed Skyhunt and The Kingdom Is Back too.
I only read one of these (Girl, Serpent, Thorn) and I have so much catching up to do 🙂
I am not familiar with any of these, but they all sound good. Thanks for sharing your list.
all these books are new to me; and the library of the unwritten would be my first pick though each one sounds interesting..
You have a fab list of books. I haven’t read Marie Lu’s work in a while. Glad to see two of her books make your list.